Meltdown, a long time coming
by Wesfanemt333
Summary: Tess-centric, going back into her childhood a little and into her breakdown during Final Jam


_My first attempt at a Camp Rock story. This will be mostly about Tess, why she acts like such a brat, and after her little breakdown during Final Jam. Sadly, I do not own Camp Rock or any of the characters in it. _

People think that being related to a famous person is wonderful. They don't see the downsides, or even believe there are any. They didn't understand just how badly things could suck at times. Like when a person you think is a friend only wants to come over for your mother's autograph. Or when people suck up to you, just to give your mom a message or a demo tape. Tess had thrown away at least twenty demo tapes, only to tell the people that her mom hated the song. So what if her mother never heard even one of them? The wanna-be singers probably couldn't even sing anyway.

Tess hadn't always been so cynical and mean. She had been a pretty nice, if a little self-centered as a little kid. She only started developing an attitude after a few events that changed her perspective completely. When her mother's career had really taken off, T.J. had sent Tess to live with her grandparents. It wasn't all bad, after all, her grandmother and grandfather adored her, and did spoil her a bit.

Life for Tess was pretty sweet back then. She was six years old, and while she did miss her mom sometimes, she was well taken care of and happy. They had a small house, just outside of the city. Then things went sour, shortly after she turned eight. Mark, her grandpa, had a heart attack suddenly. He died, and Mary just couldn't handle things. She couldn't handle her own life, much less look after Tess. This changed everything, and not for the better.

That was the start of Tess's personality change. She went from a simple content life, to sudden attention in the media. Being the daughter of a well-known singer made people treat her differently. It seemed all right at first. But things slowly started building up, and Tess began to get frustrated and angry. It seemed like her mom wasn't there most of the time. Even when it was important, like the time Tess had to have an emergency appendectomy. Her mom was five hundred miles away, doing a concert. She didn't even call until the next day. Of course, she brought some new toys with her, but that wasn't much of a comfort. What was the use of having a mother, if she wasn't there when she was needed?

So, Tess started acting out. It was little things at first; a tantrum here, a screaming fit there, a few toys broken. But eventually, even her mom noticed that things weren't going quite right. So she did what she thought was best and sent Tess to see a therapist. That didn't do much good, since Tess didn't cooperate at all. The therapist told T.J. that it was most likely a phase, and she'd 'grow out of it'. And in a way, Tess did. She just became a bit more subtle, and more prone to cruel comments.

Tess loved going to Camp Rock. It was always the highlight of her summer. She'd known most of the returning campers, and they all fell into place. There was a new girl, Mitchie, who tried to fit in. Too bad Tess caught her in that huge lie. Well, it didn't bother Tess at all. In fact, she took distinct pleasure in calling Mitchie out in front of everyone. What made the whole thing even better, was knowing that Shane Gray had heard and seen the whole thing. It was absolutely perfect. Her therapist would have called her behavior 'antisocial' and 'acting out'. But Tess didn't care. Now all she had to do was get Mitchie and Caitlin out of Final Jam. Eliminate the competition, and she'd win hands down.

Tess hadn't known it would be so easy. One simple little 'slight of hand' with her charm bracelet, and it was done. Some adults were so easy, it was a bit scary. While Brown might not have fully believed Tess, the evidence was obvious and there wasn't a thing Mitchie or Caitlin could do about it. Tess had to fight to keep from laughing out loud at the two of them. Honestly, they thought they had a chance against her? Please, she'd been manipulating adults since before her tenth birthday.

Tess knew she was going to win the Final Jam. Everything was going perfectly. No one else even stood a chance. And to make this the best victory ever, her mom had managed to come. She wasn't sure if her mom was going to make it. So many times, the career that Tess bragged about her mother having, kept T.J. away from Tess. She'd missed a lot of important school and personal events, due to tours and publicity shoots. But not today. Today it was all about Tess. As it should be.

Tess was so into the song, the music, she barely heard the loud cell-phone ringing. She pushed it to the back of her mind and continued. She was going to win. Period. That meant no distractions. Until she looked out into the audience, and saw her mom, on her freaking phone! She couldn't believe it. This was her moment, and some phone call was more important. Tess was crushed, but she tried to keep on going. Ultimately, she couldn't go on, and dropped the microphone, fleeing the stage. She couldn't be seen crying. No way. It just wasn't her way. At all.

She sat down by herself, trying to calm herself down. It wasn't easy, knowing her mom's call had taken precedence over her performance. After a while, the tears slowed down and she felt a little bit better. She was still angry. Who wouldn't be? No one else's parents left their phones on, or would have answered while their son or daughter was performing. She stared at her knees, not wanting to face everybody. She was still sitting quietly when she heard a voice,

"Hey, You all right there?"

_Who will the mystery person be? Stay tuned to find out. More to be updated, hopefully soon. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated. _


End file.
